Bleeding Cool reports that there have been rumors going around about a very special surprise for the anniversary: An announcement that a number of previously lost Doctor Who episodes have been recovered, including fan favorite Evil of the Daleks.

And the rumour is that we may be getting a whole host of Doctor Who episodes.

Not new ones, but episodes not seen anywhere since they were first broadcast.

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And there are lots. Lots and lots. Completed serials that we’ve only had incomplete before, full series that nothing existed of. Not everything. But heaps and heaps. Possibly even The Full Hartnell.

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There’s even the rumour that the much touted DVD set Regenerationsout this month, with its previewed animation clip of the regeneration between the first and second Doctors is a bluff, and they now have the full The Tenth Planet in which the Doctor regenerated for the first time which will be released in this set. But that strikes me as wish-fulfillment too far. Would be very clever though.

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UPDATE: Shortly after posting, I received further confirmation of the details listed above from another, better connected source. I don’t think I need to cross my fingers quite so hard any more.

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While this is all rumors and such, I certainly hope it's true. This isn't first time I've heard something along these lines, especially in regards to Evil of the Daleks, so hopefully there's some truth to it.

This will be so cool if true. Even if only a few episodes are recovered of stories that already have something still existing, it may be enough to at least animate more stories

Can you imagine if you were a Warehouse worker (and knowledgable enough in the fandom to know what a find it was), and happened across a box filled with canisters of Doctor Who episodes while you clearing out an old section of the warehouse

So, is it a safe assumption, that this rumor has now become so strong, there almost has to be something to it? IE: There has to at the very least be 1 episode, even if the whispering of the story from person to person pumped it up to lots and lots. Or is it still likely it's a complete load of hogwassh?

So, is it a safe assumption, that this rumor has now become so strong, there almost has to be something to it? IE: There has to at the very least be 1 episode, even if the whispering of the story from person to person pumped it up to lots and lots. Or is it still likely it's a complete load of hogwassh?

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One rumor that's circulating is that a large mass of material has been found/was recovered, and that this happened either with or close in time to "The Underwater Menace" and "Galaxy 4." When those episodes made their premiere at the British Film Institute, the rumor was that was just the tip of the iceberg; people in the know knew that there was more than just those two.

Then specific names started getting tossed around. "Marco Polo." "The Enemy of the World." Possibly "Evil of the Daleks." (And yes, I know how unlikely a recovery of "Evil" is.)

Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool says that he's heard from his sources that sixty episodes have been recovered. I can't believe that. No, wait, I can. But I won't believe that. Because that's impossible.

So, is it a safe assumption, that this rumor has now become so strong, there almost has to be something to it? IE: There has to at the very least be 1 episode, even if the whispering of the story from person to person pumped it up to lots and lots. Or is it still likely it's a complete load of hogwassh?

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One rumor that's circulating is that a large mass of material has been found/was recovered, and that this happened either with or close in time to "The Underwater Menace" and "Galaxy 4." When those episodes made their premiere at the British Film Institute, the rumor was that was just the tip of the iceberg; people in the know knew that there was more than just those two.

Then specific names started getting tossed around. "Marco Polo." "The Enemy of the World." Possibly "Evil of the Daleks." (And yes, I know how unlikely a recovery of "Evil" is.)

Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool says that he's heard from his sources that sixty episodes have been recovered. I can't believe that. No, wait, I can. But I won't believe that. Because that's impossible.

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Yea, I remembering reading "There's more, they're holding out on us".

60? OMG, my wildest dreams didn't even dare fantasize about more than 10 episode in one shot. 10 Episodes would cause a total fangasm, IMHO.

Wow, just... wow, this will be like taking a bath in awesome sauce if there's any truth to it.

DalekJim, yea, it's pretty incredible, but, this is BleedingCool we're talking about, after holding back on it for over a year and half, it's a pretty low chance that there's isn't some kind of smoke for the fire. Sure 60 could very well be an exaggeration, but, hard to believe it's complete BS. They're not known for just blurting any old rumor with no substance, without stating there is absolutely no substance. This article sounds like the author is holding back on some of the wilder claims

Because nothing in Doctor Who fandom can happen without an overreaction from Gallifrey Base, the forum director posted this in the missing episodes thread there, with the first two lines in red:

PLEASE READ THIS

PLEASE READ THIS

I've been holding back on this, but now that Bleeding Cool have stoked the fires, I'd like to ask you all to reign in your enthusiasm and excitement, keep calm and carry on. At this point it's all still a rumor, and it's been made quite clear, with this rumor and rumors in the past, that "loose lips sink ships" (so to speak), and too much talk can cause very real problems with negotiations, if such negotiations are being carried out. Nobody here would like to know that their posts were responsible for unintentionally sabotaging negotiations and scuppering a return, so please exercise caution and discretion. I'm not silencing discussion on the rumor, and the rumor still may turn out to be false, I'm just asking you all to take it easy and think before you post. Thank you.

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Which led someone to suggest that he knew something, which led him to post this:

I "know" the same thing that everyone else "knows" and no more.

(Well, the first time I heard the rumor in January, it was 54 episodes. That's about the only difference.)

The very reason why I didn't want to have to post that sort of message was that it might inadvertently lend an unintended authenticity to the rumor for some of our more overeager members. So I'm telling you right now, straight and clear, don't make that mistake.

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Which led as day leads to night to this, and a temporary thread closure:

One of our members has accused me of making my post in response to receiving a message from someone asking me to do it.

There is no truth to that.

Nobody has said anything to me about missing episodes, nobody has made any requests of me, not in any form of communication.

That was me considering the situation and attempting to be sensible about it.

And, one more time, this is still a rumor, the same rumor that's been going around for a while now. It has yet to be proven true or false to me or anyone else, as far as I know.

So, enough of that. I'm not keeping the thread closed, because there's always plenty to talk about when it comes to missing episodes. Thread will reopen soon. But my earlier post still stands, and I very much appreciate those of you who have taken the message to heart.

So, about negotiations...If indeed someone does have a large stash of episodes that were original copies intended for broadcast, and BBC doesn't want to meet their price, then what happens? The person/entity holding them can't do anything financially gainful with them right? Only the BBC can purchase them for profit making ventures, right? Unless some Millionaire/Billionaire was to grab them up for their Private Collection?